The chicken wire is of WW2 vintage as were the large gun emplacements who were also covered with it with the accompanied running trenches , when I first started paying a visited to them in the mid 1950s everything was pretty intact as they had been when given up by the MOD .
@@frontlineulster There are also the remains of a small arms and a grenade range up there , I have a small plan of the site , unsure how to send a copy to you .
I presume the loops on top of the blocks were for steel rope or barbed wire connecting all the blocks. With such open embrasures maybe they originally had armoured plates on them and maybe the witness marks on the outside are signs of the plates?
So that's an interesting observation. Some of the cubes on the beach had remnants of barbed wire, even a wire tensioner still attached to the loops. The loops themselves are almost superficial, not being connected to the internal steel frame of the obstacle. They certainly wouldn't have been capable of lifting the completed cubes! I have looked in a few contemporary engineer pamphlets and there is no mention of wire obstacles being fixed to the cubes. Many obstacles elsewhere don't even have the loops. If you look on the Imperial War Museum collections section www.iwm.org.uk/collections and search for " H 11554" you can see the closest I think these defences would have looked like.
As for steel plates over the loopholes, I don't think they were a feature of these defences. It's possible they were constructed sufficiently early in the conflict so as not to have had them fitted in the design, and as the defensive plan changed throughout the early years of the war, it's possible that this line was practically abandoned and resources focussed elsewhere. If shutters were fitted, given the demand for steel, I think they would have been as small as possible. The loopholes are very large compared to later designs, and the wall thickness suitably thin to only make them reisstant to bullets and shrapnel. The defences exposed on the beach would not have lasted very long at all in my opinion.
Really enjoyed thar. Bring on the next one.
Very interesting. Thank you
Very interesting I learned a wee bit more about the defences. There are some closer to my home at Tentsmuir forest in Fife I often go and look at 🙂
Another great video mate 👍🏻 looking forward to the next
Awesome, thanks John! Next week you have a tour of the coastal battery along this line!
The chicken wire is of WW2 vintage as were the large gun emplacements who were also covered with it with the accompanied running trenches , when I first started paying a visited to them in the mid 1950s everything was pretty intact as they had been when given up by the MOD .
Incredible! That’s great to know, thank you. It’s sometimes hard to believe seeing positions so intact, it’s a really special site.
@@frontlineulster There are also the remains of a small arms and a grenade range up there , I have a small plan of the site , unsure how to send a copy to you .
I presume the loops on top of the blocks were for steel rope or barbed wire connecting all the blocks. With such open embrasures maybe they originally had armoured plates on them and maybe the witness marks on the outside are signs of the plates?
So that's an interesting observation. Some of the cubes on the beach had remnants of barbed wire, even a wire tensioner still attached to the loops. The loops themselves are almost superficial, not being connected to the internal steel frame of the obstacle. They certainly wouldn't have been capable of lifting the completed cubes! I have looked in a few contemporary engineer pamphlets and there is no mention of wire obstacles being fixed to the cubes. Many obstacles elsewhere don't even have the loops. If you look on the Imperial War Museum collections section www.iwm.org.uk/collections and search for " H 11554" you can see the closest I think these defences would have looked like.
As for steel plates over the loopholes, I don't think they were a feature of these defences. It's possible they were constructed sufficiently early in the conflict so as not to have had them fitted in the design, and as the defensive plan changed throughout the early years of the war, it's possible that this line was practically abandoned and resources focussed elsewhere. If shutters were fitted, given the demand for steel, I think they would have been as small as possible. The loopholes are very large compared to later designs, and the wall thickness suitably thin to only make them reisstant to bullets and shrapnel. The defences exposed on the beach would not have lasted very long at all in my opinion.
My home turf 😊
A stunning part of the country with such a rich and varied history!
You're videos are always well researched, very well presented.
Thank you ☺️ I try to keep them varied and it’s an excuse to travel to some interesting parts of the country!